Vasopro Ephedrine HCL (hydrochloride), the over-the-counter drug used as
a bronchodilator (for airway clearing purpose), contains ephedrine of the US
over-the-counter pharmaceutical standard.

Vasopro is designed and manufactured solely for the purpose and use as an
expectorant bronchodilator for the treatment of asthma. Any
advertising, marketing, and/or promotion, in any form, of the Vasopro
product for any purpose other than as an expectorant bronchodilator for the
treatment of asthma is prohibited under Federal Law and certain state and
local statutes. Violation of these laws and regulations may expose you
to possible, criminal and civil penalties and/or regulatory action.

Vasopro and Weight Loss

Based on scientific evidence, ephedrine (its US OTC pharmaceutical
standard is contained in Vasopro) causes weight loss when
used in combination with caffeine.

Abstract: In previous separate studies, dexfenfluramine (DF) and
ephedrine/caffeine (EC) have been shown to promote weight loss in obese
patients as compared with placebo. In order to compare the efficacy and
safety of these two anorectic drugs, 103 patients with 20-80% overweight
were included in a 15-week double-blind study in general practice. Patients
were randomized to either 15 mg DF twice daily (n = 53), or 20 mg/200 mg
ephedrine/caffeine three times a day (n = 50), supplementary to a 5 MJ/day
diet. Forty-three patients from the DF group and 38 from the EC group
completed the study. After 15 weeks of treatment, the DF group (n = 43) had
lost 6.9 +/- 4.3 kg and the EC group (n = 38) had lost 8.3 +/- 5.2 kg (mean
+/- s.d., P = 0.12). In the subgroup of patients with BMI > or = 30 kg/m2 (n
= 59), the mean weight loss was 7.0 +/- 4.2 kg in the DF group (n = 29) and
9.0 +/- 5.3 kg in the EC group (n = 30), P < 0.05. Both systolic and
diastolic blood pressures were reduced similarly during both treatments.
Twenty-three patients in the DF group (43%) and 27 in the EC group (54%)
complained of side-effects. Central nervous system side-effects, especially
agitation, were more pronounced in the EC group (P < 0.05), whereas
gastro-intestinal symptoms were more frequent in the DF group (P < 0.05).
The side-effects declined markedly during the first month of treatment in
both groups

Southern California Evidence-based Practice Center (RAND)
identified 44 controlled trials assessing ephedra and ephedrine alkaloids
(such as Vasopro) used in combination with other compounds for weight loss;
20 of these trials met the criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis.
Meta-regressions were used to assess the effect of ephedrine, ephedrine plus
caffeine, and ephedra plus herbs containing caffeine. Five pairs of
treatment regimens were compared:

* Ephedrine (its US OTC pharmaceutical standard is contained in Vasopro) vs. placebo: 5 studies. Ephedrine was associated with
a statistically significant weight loss of 1.3 pounds/month more than was
associated with placebo for up to 4 months of use.
* Ephedrine (its US OTC pharmaceutical standard is contained in Vasopro) plus caffeine vs. placebo: 12 studies. Ephedrine plus
caffeine was associated with a statistically significant weight loss of 2.2
pounds/month more than was associated with placebo for up to 4 months of
use.
* Ephedrine (its US OTC pharmaceutical standard is contained in Vasopro)
plus caffeine vs. ephedrine: 3 studies. Ephedrine (its US OTC pharmaceutical
standard is contained in Vasopro)
plus caffeine was associated with a statistically significant weight loss of
0.8 pounds/month more than was associated with ephedrine alone.
* Ephedrine (its US OTC pharmaceutical standard is contained in Vasopro) vs. other active weight loss products: 2 studies. No
conclusions could be drawn because of the small sample size in each of these
studies.
* Ephedra plus herbs containing caffeine vs. placebo: 4 studies. Ephedra
plus herbs containing caffeine was associated with a statistically
significant weight loss of 2.1 pounds/month more than was associated with
placebo for up to 4 months of use.

The use of ephedrine (its US OTC pharmaceutical standard is contained in
Vasopro), ephedrine plus caffeine, or dietary
supplements containing ephedra and herbs with caffeine was associated with a
statistically significant increase in weight loss over a relatively short
time. Both ephedrine (its US OTC pharmaceutical standard is contained in
Vasopro) plus caffeine and ephedra plus herbs
containing caffeine were somewhat more effective than ephedrine alone in
promoting weight loss.

Only one study compared ephedra plus other herbs (but without caffeine) with
a placebo. The ephedra-containing product was associated with a weight loss
of 1.8 pounds/month more than was associated with a placebo for up to 3
months of use.

Overall, the effects on weight loss of synthetic ephedrine (its US OTC
pharmaceutical standard is contained in Vasopro) plus
caffeine and ephedra plus herbs containing caffeine were equivalent: weight
loss of approximately 2 pounds/month more than was associated with placebo
for up to 4 or 6 months of use. No studies assessed the long-term effects on
weight loss; the longest published follow-up was 6 months.